Strawbs Chippie N zipped to the point and held tough in the lane to score in the opening leg of a Holiday Claiming Series for $20,000 claiming filly and mare pacers at The Meadows on Tuesday, Dec. 11. My Kind Of Dance captured the other $15,000 opening-leg split.
The Meadows this week is kicking off six Holiday Claiming Series that conclude on a special New Year’s Eve card that also features the career finale of Foiled Again, the richest Standardbred all time with earnings exceeding $7.5 million. First post Dec. 31 is 5:30 p.m.
Strawbs Chippie N had won two of her three previous starts on the front and her victory Tuesday for Aaron Merriman, trainer Mark Goldberg and owner Rags To Riches of PA was much the same. She shrugged off the passing-lane challenge of Always A Z Tam and defeated her by three-quarter lengths in a sharp 1:53.2, with first-over Ellasen third.
The seven-year-old daughter of Stonebridge Regal-Strawbs Last Chip now has banked $115,385. It was one of four wins for Merriman on the 13-race program.
Tuesday’s card also included the opening leg of a series for $10,000 claiming filly and mare pacers. Deprived, Love Love Me Do and Spoxys Girl took the $8,000 divisions.
Elsewhere on the program, Fox Valley Charm shook off the rust from a two-and-a-half-month layoff and shot through the open stretch to win the $18,000 Filly & Mare Preferred Handicap Pace, downing Camera Lady by a half length in 1:54. Jewels Forreal completed the ticket.
Brett Miller piloted the six-year-old daughter of Yankee Skyscaper-Fox Valley Cherub, who lifted her lifetime earnings to $366,960, for trainer Dirk Simpson and owner Peter Karras.